Coupling



Sept. 25, 1928. 1,685,158

S. B. GOLD CUPLING Filed Nov. 21, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l |N`vENToR BY a Sept. 25, 1928. 1,685,158

s. B. GOLD COUPLING Filed Nov. 21, l192:'7 2 sheets-sheet 2 www ATTORNEY Patentedv Sept. 25, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

saiwnnn. conn, oiixeirsns'crrY, mssormr, VAs'sIerroa ro wanna interimfcoili-l rm, or mens crrY, mssormr, A coaroanrion or Iowa.

i coUrniNG.

Appueatin-meimvmr 21, ia'z'. serial no. 234,696.l

My invention relates to flexibleY couplings and more particularly to a device of that` character for directly connecting a prime` mover with-a driven member, .such as a'i'e-v versible clutch pulley; the principal ob} ect of the invention being)` to provide alcoupling of this type whereby t e free endsof the shaft. members are inter-supported by the couphng independently of the power-transmitting ele-v ment of the cou ling, thereby obviating the lnecessity of an a ditiona-l s upport, economiz.` ing space by the elimination of such additional element and shortening .thel distance between the driving and driven members; whereby the shaft members may be operatively connected irrespective of'slight irregularity in angular alignment and such re ation maintained by automatic adjustment of the cou lingto later variations due to settling of foundations or other causes; and whereby variation in angularity of the-shaft members is absorbed in the coupling, thereby maintaining a constant point of intersection of the axes of the respective members.

In accomplishing these and other obgects of the invention I have provided improved details of structure, thepreferred formsI of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein: v

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of my invention illustrated as connecting a reverse clutch element with an internal combustion engine.

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the coupling viewed from the engine side.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal, sectional 'view through the coupling and the adjacent por-v tions of the reverse pulley and engine on the line 3 3, Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view ofthe 'flexible coupling members in spaced relation.

Referring in detail to the drawings wherein the coupling is illustrated in connection with an engine and a reversibleclutch pulley, to which use it is particularly adapted:

l designates the y wheel of an engine of a type commonly employed for driving the band Wheel of an oil well rig, having a hub 2 keyed to a crank shaft 3 and provided with an annular ilange'4. 5 designates a reversible clutch pulley keyed on the pulley shaft 6 to operate a belt I and having al flange 8.- complementary to the ange 4 of the fly wheel.

and eiciency have been lacking.

rllhe ilange'4 oft-he y wheel isprovided with an annular shoulder'9 which, according to commonl practice,` is adapted to seat in an annular-.recess 10 of the pulley flange 8, l

whereb thev fly wheel and pulleyv element are en aged, the flanges being secured together by stud bolts to drive and support the-'engine end of the alley shaft6. y The opposite end a' that'the pulley bearing may not .have been mounted upon its foundation in true alignment with the'engine, or the relationship of Y the engine and the bearing may have shifted duel to settling of bases, wear of bearings, vi-` bration, or other factors, resulting in an angular relationship between the pulley shaft vthe drilling or' `umping operations.

Heretofore, exible couplings have been used to compensate angular relationship of shafts, but such flexible couplings have notv and engine crank shaft, so that heavy loads been capable of nor adapted for supporting v thefree end of a driven shaft in positive rotational relation with the` driver; in conse'- quence whereof, independent l supportingv means have .been provided, or supporting means which shouldbe provided for safety I, therefore, provide a couplingi'n'cluding means for transmitting rotation from one shaft member tothe other, in combinationA with shaft supporting means whereby the transmission means is relievedl of load-supportingduty. v

The coupling element comprises va driving member 14 consisting offa disk having a central recess 15 corresponding to vthe recess 10 of the pulley 'flange 48 which ordinarily receives the shoulder of the fly wheel hub, and a cylindrical, concentric hub 16 projecting from its 'inner face; the driving'member be` ing bolted to the hub of the ily wheel flange by studs 17 which project through openings 18 in the disk into the threaded sockets 19 in the y .wheel lange. A driven member 20, consists of a disk-like body similar to the driving member14, havin a concentric boss 21 on its outer side receiva le in the recess 10 and a rejecting stud 22"on its inner side adapted) for reception in the hub ofthe driving member in concentric, spaced .relation thereto; the hub 16 and stud 22 comprisingi supporting elements for ball bearing races,

resently described, and the driven member eing secured to the pulley flange by bolts 23 extending through openings 24 of said driven member 20.

Each of the disk members 14 and 20 is provided with spaced radial ears 25 and attached to pairs of adjacent ears, separated by intervening ears, are links 27, preferably arcuate and of resilient and flexible material having considerable tensile strength, such as leather; the ears 25 serving as intervening ears being designated 28 on the driving member and 29 on the driven member. The members 14 and 20 are joined face to face, the stud 22 on the member 20 extending into the hub,16 on the member 14 to support the pulley element from the ily wheel, and the links on each of the members being staggered in relation to the links on the other member, whereby the free ears of one member are positioned substantially centrally of adjacent links on the complementary member,bolts 30 connecting the free ears of each member with the central portions of the related links of the other member to lockv the members together for transmission of rotation from the driving to the driven member.

The hub 16 of the driving member and the stud 22 of the driven member carry facing ball races 31 and 32 for bearing balls 33, theV races being concaved longitudinally to permit adjustment of the members .to varying angularity of theshaft sections andfretain the pint of intersection of the axes of the sections constant. Resilient packing 34, such as felt or the like, isinterposed between the members.

The radial ears of the driving member are preferably outset on the driven memberside of the driving member, as indicated by 35, to provide desired spacing of the members for accommodating the nuts of the bolts securing the members to the respective flanges and to provide spacing for the hub 16 from the driven member.

- Openings 36, larger than the bolt-receiving openings 24, arealso provided intermediately of the openings 24 in the driven member for receiving the outer ends of the support-ing studs of the complementar member to prevent binding of said studs t ereon against the op osite member.

ssuming the parts to be constructed as described, the coupling is assembled by attaching the exible links to paired ears on the respective disk members as illustrated in the drawings (Fig. 4), and attaching the disk members to the `respective-sh'afitsections by' 6by "\tion to the other so that even with a slight mis-alignment of the sections, transmission of rotation from one shaft section to the other may be effected without strain on the bearings, and should further mis-alignment occur, ydue to uneven settling of the foundationsor other causes, such additional variation in axial alignment is absorbed by the flexible links and such strain avoided. v f

The hub of one of the coupling elements forms a bearing for the stud of the other element so that one supports the other and an intermediate support from' a foundation is unnecessary, thereby saving space in the assembly, thearcuate bearing races permitting adjustment of the coupling for variation in angularity of the shaft sections without afecting` the point of intersection of the axes of the respective sections.

What I claim and desire to secure byvLetters Patent is: y

1. In a lshaft coupling, complementary coupling members connected with respective shaft members, each coupling member hav# ing peripheral ears in staggered relation with similar ears on its complementar member, flexible links attached to selecte adjacent ears of each coupling member and to intervening ears of the complementary member,

` 2. In a shaft coupling, complementary coupling members connected with respective shaft sections, each coupling lmember having peripheral ears in staggered relation with the ears of the other member, flexible links on each member attached to selected adjacent ears thereof, means pivoting one member with the other, each member having intermediate free ears, and means. connecting the intermediate ears of one member with the links of the other member. i

3. In combination with aligningshaft sec- SAMUEL B. donn.A 

